Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Anthurium andreanum cultivar Bright Love.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Bright Lovexe2x80x99.
The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. The objective of the program is to create and develop new compact, freely clumping and freely flowering Anthurium cultivars with strong roots, dark green leaves, attractive spathe color, and good inflorescence longevity.
The new Anthurium originated from a cross by the Inventor in May, 1996 of a proprietary selection of Anthurium andreanum identified as code number 0040, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Anthurium andreanum cultivar Champion, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,088, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Bright Love was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands in July, 1998.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by meristem culture in a laboratory in Belgium since August, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar Bright Love. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Bright Lovexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely clumping growth habit.
3. Durable dark green leaves.
4. White, green and red tri-colored spathes with red-colored venation and red-colored spadices that are positioned above and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes.
5. Freely flowering habit.
6. Good inflorescence longevity.
Plants of the new Anthurium can be compared to plants of the female parent, the proprietary selection identified as code number 0040. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the selection 0040 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium were smaller than plants of the selection 0040.
2. Spathes of plants of the new Anthurium were white, green and red tri-colored whereas spathes of plants of the selection 0040 were red-colored.
Plants of the new Anthurium are most similar to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Champion. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the cultivar Champion in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium were more freely clumping than plants of the cultivar Champion.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium had larger leaves than plants of the cultivar Champion.
3. Plants of the new Anthurium had larger spathes than plants of the cultivar Champion.
4. Spadices of plants of the new Anthurium were not as red as spadices of plants of the cultivar Champion.
5. Plants of the new Anthurium were more freely flowering during the winter than plants of the cultivar Champion.